Various measuring devices are employed to measure and compare a deviation of a body, such as a machine surface, a base plate, a sole plate and the like. For example, a spirit level is designed to determine a horizontal position or an inclined position of a body on which the spirit level is placed. Generally, the spirit level includes a transparent vial having liquid, such as colored spirit, partially filled therein so that an air bubble is created in the transparent vial. During utilization, the spirit level is placed on the body for enabling the air bubble to assume a position within the transparent vial. Based on the position of the air bubble in the transparent vial, the horizontal position and the inclined position of the body are determined. For example, if the air bubble is misaligned from a center portion of the transparent vial, the body is at the inclined position. Similarly, if the air bubble is aligned to the center portion of the transparent vial, the body is at the horizontal position.
If the air bubble is misaligned from the center portion of the transparent vial, the spirit level is tilted manually to align the air bubble to the center portion of the transparent vial. Furthermore, the deviation by which the spirit level is tilted in order to align the air bubble to the center portion is measured manually to determine an amount of shimming requisite to the body in order to position the body at the horizontal position. The term “shimming” as used herein is defined as a process in which a wedge is inserted to a structure, such as the body, in order to obtain the horizontal position, as opposed to the inclined position, of the structure with respect to a referenced plain.
However, such tilting of the spirit level and determination of the amount of shimming are associated with certain problems and drawbacks. For example, manual tilting of the spirit level for aligning the air bubble to the center portion of the transparent vial may be a time consuming and inconvenient exercise. Further, the amount of shimming requisite to the body is usually obtained by combination of the spirit level and a feeler gauge. Generally, the feeler gauge includes a plurality of blades that are interchangeably inserted beneath the spirit level until the air bubble is aligned at the center portion of the transparent vial, in order to measure the deviation. Such interchangeable insertion of the plurality of blades leads to misalignment of the spirit level on the body, thereby leading to incorrect readings of the deviation.
Accordingly, there exists a need for correctly measuring a deviation of a body in an easy and convenient manner for determining an amount of shimming requisite for the body in order to obtain a horizontal position as opposed to an inclined position of the body.